Bradford's Peace Museum opens in new premises TODAY

After years of being based in Piece Hall Yard in Bradford city centre, the Peace Museum has moved to space in Salts Mill in Saltaire.

The move to the much bigger premises has allowed the museum to display more of its collection – much of which had to be kept in storage due to limited space at the previous museum space.

It also has new retail space, exhibition area and academic research space.

Banners on display in the Peace Museum (Image: T&A)

The Peace Museum opened in 1998 and is the only UK museum dedicated to peace.

Items on display include banners from numerous protest marches and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s original drawings of the peace symbol.

The entrance to the Peace Museum (Image: T&A)

The original sketches, designed by Gerald Holtom in 1958, which belong to the Commonweal Library but are cared for by the University of Bradford.

The museum’s move coincides with the 50th anniversary of the University of Bradford’s Department of Peace Studies this year.

Professor Prathivadi Anand, from the Department of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford and The Peace Museum trustee, said: “The opening of The Peace Museum in its new location is an important event for the university and the City of Bradford.

A suitcase brought to the UK by a child refugee as part of the Kindertransport programme during World War II (Image: T&A)

“If the founding of the Department of Peace Studies at the university in 1973 has been a uniquely important event for the academic advancement of understanding and thinking about peace, the development of The Peace Museum in Bradford a couple of decades later has been important to advance public understanding of peace and the important roles of arts, literature, protests and public or collective action for peace.”

Different poppies on display at the Peace Museum (Image: T&A)

Professor Paul Rogers, Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, said: "Across the country there are scores of war museums. They include specific battles and branches of the armed forces as well as the many regimental museums.

“In comparison, peace museums are few and far between, even though there is so much to learn about the potential for building more peaceful societies.

Exhibits at the new look Peace Museum (Image: T&A)

“It is in this context that the expansion of The Peace Museum into a fully-fledged national centre is hugely welcome and also a great addition to Bradford's cultural environment."

Following an online fundraising campaign, The Peace Museum announced in 2021 that the site would be moving to Salts Mill.

The Peace Museum is open every Wednesday to Sunday, between 10am and 4pm, and closed every Monday and Tuesday.